When Samantha Fulgham started working at Bumble in 2014, she was still in college. But as she told us in our recent “The Future of Marketing” panel at CF Clubhouse, dropping out of school to become Bumble’s second hire was a choice she felt she had to make. “I went with my gut,” she explained.
Thirty-four million Bumble users later (thanks to her successful College Ambassador program), Samantha now serves as the Director of Field Marketing at the company, leading 500 college ambassadors and representatives in both marketing and “real life” educational programs while helping Bumble achieve its mission-based and growth goals.
And the app, which started as a dating platform that allowed women to make the first move, has now grown to include Bumble BFF, a place to meet your new best friend, and Bumble Bizz, a platform that allows people to build their network from wherever they are.
Clearly, Samantha gets things done: “Hustle until your haters ask if you’re hiring,” is her motto, after all. So we sat down with her to get a peek into exactly what she does. Here’s a day in her life.
On the first thing she does in the morning: “I open my phone and catch up on all the things I missed while I was sleeping – from Instagram, to the latest Bumble headlines and my email. Before leaving the house, I always make my bed. Everyone in my office would be surprised by this, because my whole room/apartment is a mess – but I saw a viral graduation speech on Facebook a few years ago, and it said that if you want to change the world, the first thing you should do is make your bed in the morning. So I’ve done that every day since.”
On how she starts the work day: “Fortunately, I don’t have much of a commute so I can get into the office a little before 9 am and catch up with everyone for a little while, before it’s time to meet with my team and set priorities for the day. I always check with my team to see if there’s anything holding us back to ensure that we’re all on track to meet our weekly and monthly goals.”
On how no two days in the office are the same: “There’s definitely no typical day. Bumble moves at such a rapid pace, which is one of the reasons I love my job so much. One day we’re helping plan someone’s dream engagement and the next we’re meeting with the Anti-Defamation League to talk how we’ve banned hate speech from our app. Every day is completely different from the past. We’re big opportunists, so if something comes up, we’re not going to miss it, and we will make sure to get whatever needs to be done that second to make sure that happens. Every day is different.”
On how she stays organized despite a hectic schedule: “Because we’re a company that moves really quickly, we all do a great job of keeping each other accountable. Of course, Google Calendar is a lifesaver.”
On when she leaves work (but how she’s never “off”): “Everyone that works for Bumble is always on. When we leave the office, we are still ambassadors for our brand. We live and breathe our mission inside and outside the office. We’re so committed to making things happen, that we don’t mind taking late calls with our international teams in Australia, ambassadors, or really anyone if it will help our team get the job done. I’m lucky to have the opportunity to go to so many of the events that we host — from Toronto to London to Mexico City — and I don’t mind working outside of the typical 9 to 5.”
On how she winds down: “I love to cook and play guitar. Right now, I’m trying to learn how to play the piano – so every night, I make an active effort to put down work for a little bit (even for an hour!) so that I can get better. I have a newfound respect for people who play piano! I think it’s the hardest thing in the world.”
On the last thing she does every night: “I always go over my calendar. Before I go to bed, I need to know what my first thing is tomorrow to feel prepared and sleep well.”
Created with Bumble.
